1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plate material carrying apparatus for carrying materials stored on a material pallet one by one into a plate material processing machine such as a laser processing machine and punching press, and for carrying out products one by one of a plate material processing machine onto a product pallet.
2. Description of the Related Art
The description is given as to a conventional plate material carrying apparatus.
A mount frame is provided to the vicinity of a plate material processing machine, a plate material taking-in/out area is provided in the mount frame, and a material wait area and a product wait area are provided respectively to one side and the other side of the plate material taking-in/out area. A first pallet supporting member supporting a product pallet or a material pallet is provided in the plate material taking-in/out area, a second pallet supporting member supporting the material pallet is provided to the material wait area, and a third pallet supporting member supporting the product pallet is provided to the product wait area. A pallet taking-in/out unit is provided to the third pallet supporting member, and this pallet taking-in/out unit sends out the product pallet to the first pallet supporting member and takes in the product pallet from the first pallet supporting member.
A lifter table, which has a lift stand which supports the material pallet or product pallet and which can rise and lower, is provided, and this lifter table can move between the plate material taking-in/out area and material wait area.
A slat conveyor is provided to a suitable position of the mount frame so as to cover a circumference of the plate material taking-in/out area, and this slat conveyor has a plurality of supporting rollers which are rotatable in a suitable extent. The slat conveyor is constituted so as to be able to be switched between a blockade state that an upper part of the plate material taking-in/out area is blockaded and an open state that the upper part of the plate material taking-in/out area is opened.
A guide rail which is extended in the carrying direction is provided at a suitable position of the mount frame, and the guide rail is provided with a slider which can move to the carrying direction between a position above the plate material processing machine and a position above the slat conveyor. The slider is provided with a vacuum pad which adsorbs an upper surface of a material and can lift and lower, and the slider is further provided with a product damper clamping an end portion of a product.
Therefore, after amaterial is plate-material-processed, an end portion of the product is clamped by the product clamper, and the slider is moved from the position above the plate material processing machine to the position above the slat conveyor. As a result, the product can be supported by a plurality of the supporting rollers of the slat conveyor in the blockade state. At this time, the material pallet is supported by the second pallet supporting member, and the product pallet is supported by the lift stand on the lifter table in the plate material taking-in/out area. When the slat conveyor is switched from the blockade state to the open state, the products are stored on the product pallet.
After the products are stored on the product pallet, the lift stand on the lifter table is lowered so that the product pallet is received by the first pallet supporting member. Next, the product pallet is drawn out of the first pallet supporting member to the third pallet supporting member by the pallet taking-in/out unit, and the lifter table is moved from the plate. material taking-in/out area to the material wait area. Then, the lift stand is raised so as to receive the material pallet from the second pallet supporting member, and the lifter table is moved from the material wait area to the plate material taking-in/out area.
After the lifter table is moved to the plate material taking-in/out area, the lift stand is raised, and a topmost material on the material pallet is positioned in a lower position adjacent to the upper end portion of the slat conveyor. Next, a plurality of vacuum pads are lowered, and the upper surface of the material is adsorbed by a plurality of the vacuum pads. A plurality of the vacuum pads are raised so as to lift the material, and the slat conveyor is switched from the open state to the blockade state. As a result, one of the materials is taken out so as to be able to be supported by a plurality of the supporting rollers of the slat conveyor.
After the material is supported by a plurality of the supporting rollers of the slat conveyor, the slider is moved from the position above the slat conveyor to the position above the plate material processing machine with the material being adsorbed by a plurality of the vacuum pads. As a result, the materials can be carried into the plate material processing machine, and the plate material processing can be performed by the plate material processing machine.
As mentioned above, in the conventional plate material carrying apparatus, after the plate material processing is performed and products are stored on the product pallet, one of the materials is taken out to be supported by a plurality of the supporting rollers of the slat conveyor. For this reason, it is necessary that the material pallet is moved from the plate material taking-in/out area to the product wait area and that the material pallet is moved from the material wait area to the plate material taking-in/out area by the lifter table, and thus there arises a problem such that the operation requires a lot of time and the efficiency of the operation is decreased.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a plate material carrying apparatus for plate material processing machine which is capable of exchanging a material pallet and product pallet efficiently with a simple mechanism, shortening a pallet replacing time, improving the productivity of the plate material processing machine and being reasonable.
In order to accomplish the object described above, from the first aspect, the present invention provides a plate material carrying apparatus for carrying materials stored on a material pallet one by one into a plate material processing machine and for carrying products from the plate material processing machine one by one onto a product pallet, comprising:
a mount frame provided to the vicinity of the plate material processing machine;
a plate material taking-in/out area provided in the mount frame;
a material wait area and product wait area provided to one side and the other side of the plate material taking-in/out area;
a first pallet supporting member supporting the product pallet or material pallet in the plate material taking-in/out area;
a second pallet supporting member supporting the material pallet in the material wait area;
a third pallet supporting member supporting the product pallet in the product wait area;
a pallet taking-in/out unit sending the product pallet to the first pallet supporting member and taking in the product pallet from the first pallet supporting member;
a lifter table having a lift stand to be able to lift and lower which supports the material pallet or product pallet, the lifter table being provided so as to be able to move between the plate material taking-in/out area and the material wait area;
a slat conveyor having a plurality of rotatable supporting rollers in a suitable extent, the slat conveyor being provided so as to cover a circumference of the plate material taking-in area, the slat conveyor being constituted so as to be able to be switched between a blockade state that an upper part of the plate material taking-in/out area is blockaded by the plurality of supporting rollers and an open state that the upper part of the plate material taking-in/out area is opened;
a material table supporting materials, the material table being provided so as to be able to move between the plate material taking-in/out area and the material wait area; and
a slider provided between a position above the plate material processing machine and a position above the slat conveyor so as to be able to move to a carrying direction, the slider having a plurality of vacuum pads which adsorb upper surfaces of the materials and can lift and lower and having product dampers clamping an end portions of the products.
In addition, the plate material carrying apparatus may be constituted such that the mount frame has a plurality of storing sections in up-and-down direction for storing the material pallet and product pallet, the third pallet supporting member is an elevator provided to the other side of the mount frame so as to be able to lift and lower, the elevator is composed so as to be able to support the product pallet or material pallet in the product wait area, the pallet taking-in/out unit is constituted so as to be able to send the product pallet and material pallet to the first pallet supporting member and a suitable storing section and take in the product pallet and material pallet from the first pallet supporting member and the suitable storing section.
According to the above constitution, after the plate material processing is performed on the materials, the end portion of the material is clamped by the product clampers, and the slider is moved from the position above the plate material processing machine to the position above the slat conveyor. As a result, the product can be supported by a plurality of the supporting rollers of the slat convertor in the blockade state. At this time, the material pallet is supported to the second pallet supporting member, and the product pallet is supported to the lift stand on the lifter table in the plate material taking-in/out area, and the material table is positioned in the material wait area. When the slat conveyor is switched from the blockade state to the open state, the products can be stored on the product pallet.
After the products are stored on the product pallet, the lift stand on the lifter table is lowered to send the product pallet to the first pallet supporting member, and the material table is moved from the product wait area to the plate material taking-in/out area. As a result, as mentioned later, one material which is taken out from the materials during the plate material processing and is supported to the material table can be positioned in the lower position adjacent to the upper end portion of the slat conveyor. Next, a plurality of the vacuum pads are lowered so as to adsorb the upper surface of the material. A plurality of the vacuum pads are raised to lift the material, and the slat conveyor is switched from the blockade state to the open state. As a result, the material can be supported by a plurality of the supporting rollers in the slat conveyor.
After the material is supported by a plurality of the supporting rollers in the slat conveyor, the slider is moved from the position above the slat conveyor to the position above the plate material processing machine with the material being adsorbed by a plurality of the vacuum pads. As a result, the material can be carried into the plate material processing machine, and the plate material processing can be performed by the plate material processing machine.
During the plate material processing, as mentioned below, one of the materials is taken out and is supported to the material table.
Namely, the product pallet is taken from the first pallet supporting member into the third pallet supporting member by the pallet taking-in/out unit. Moreover, the lifter table is moved from the plate material taking-in/out area to the material wait area. Then, the lift stand is raised to receive the material pallet from the second pallet supporting member, and the lifter table is moved from the material wait area to the plate material taking-in/out area.
After the lifter table is moved to the plate material taking-in/out area, the lift table is raised and the topmost material on the material pallet is positioned in the lower position adjacent to the upper end portion of the slat conveyor. Next, the slider is positioned in the position above the slat conveyor, and a plurality of the vacuum pads are lowered to adsorb the upper surface of the material. Then, a plurality of the vacuum pads are raised to lift the material, and the slat conveyor is switched from the open state to the blockade state. As a result, one of the materials can be taken out and supported by a plurality of the supporting rollers in the slat conveyor.
After the material is supported by a plurality of the supporting rollers in the slat conveyor, the lift stand on the lifter table is lowered to send the material pallet to the first pallet supporting member, and the material table is moved from the product wait area to the plate material taking-in/out area. When the slat conveyor is switched from the blockade state to the open state, one of the materials is supported to the material table.
After the material is supported to the material table, the material table and lifter table are positioned from the plate material taking-in/out area to the material wait area. Moreover, the slat conveyor is switched from the open state to the blockade state. Then, the product pallet is sent by the pallet taking-in/out unit from the third pallet supporting member to the first pallet supporting member.
In addition, according to the above constitution, besides the functions mentioned above, in the case where a prescribed number of products are stored on the product pallet, the product pallet is taken out by the pallet taking-in/out unit from the first pallet supporting member, and the elevator is raised to be positioned in a position whose level corresponds to s suitable storing section. Then, the product is sent to the suitable storing section by the pallet taking-in/out unit, and the elevator is lowered to be positioned in a position whose level corresponds to the first pallet supporting member.
In the case where the material pallet is emptied, as mentioned above, after the product pallet is sent to a suitable storing section and the elevator is positioned in a position whose level corresponds to the first pallet supporting member, the emptied pallet is taken out from the first pallet supporting member to the elevator by the pallet taking-out unit, and the elevator is raised to be positioned in a position whose level corresponds to a suitable emptied storing section. Then, the emptied pallet is sent to the suitable emptied storing section by the pallet taking-out unit, and the elevator is lowered to be positioned in a position whose level corresponds to the first pallet supporting member.
From the second aspect, the present invention provides a work carrying-in/out apparatus for carrying works into/out from a plate material processing machine which processes plate-shaped works, comprising:
a moving lifter unit moving a material pallet or product pallet up and down in a carrying-in/out station so as to carry the works into the plate material processing machine and carry out products processed by the plate material processing machine from the plate material processing machine, the moving lifter unit being provided so as to freely move to a first wait station provided to one side of the carrying-in/out station so as to have the material pallet or product pallet waiting and supports them;
a second wait station provided to the other side of the carrying-in/out station; and
a work carrying-in/out transport unit separating the works on the material pallet in the carrying-in/out station one by one so as to carry them into the plate material processing machine and for carrying products processed by the plate material processing machine to the product pallet positioned in the carrying-in/out station.
In addition, in the above constitution, the apparatus may be constituted such that a plurality of pallet storing shelves are provided to the carrying-in/out station so as to form plural up-and-down steps, an elevator unit which can freely move up and down and which transports the product pallet or material pallet from the pallet storing shelves to the carrying-in/out station, and the elevator unit is used as a second wait station.
In this constitution, after the material pallet is drawn out from a desired pallet storing shelf to the elevator unit, the elevator unit is lowered to the second wait station, and the material pallet is sent to the carrying-in/out station. The material pallet in the carrying-in/out station is raised by the moving lifter unit, and one work is separated by the work carrying-in/out transport unit from a plurality of works stored on the material pallet so as to be carried into the plate material processing machine.
While the work is being processed by the plate material processing machine, the material pallet in the carrying-in/out station is moved by the moving lifter unit to the first wait station and waits there. Meanwhile, after the elevator unit is raised again and the emptied pallet is drawn out of the desired pallet storing section of the work storage unit to the elevator unit, the elevator unit is lowered to the second wait station, and the emptied pallet is sent out to the carrying-in/out station as the product pallet for storing product thereon.
The products processed by the plate material processing machine are carried out to the carrying-in/out station by the work carrying-in/out transport unit, and the products are stored on the product pallet. The product pallet is pulled back to the second wait station of the elevator unit again and the material pallet waiting in the first wait station is moved to the carrying-in/out station by the moving lifter unit. The material pallet in the carrying-in/out station is raised by the moving lifter unit, and one work is separated from a plurality of works stored on the material pallet by the work carrying-in/out transport unit and is carried into the plate material processing machine so as to be processed therein. The above steps are repeated.
Since the moving lifter unit is raised and lowered and freely moves between the carrying-in/out station and the first wait station, the material pallet and product pallet are exchanged efficiently with a simple mechanism and the pallet exchanging time is shortened, so the productivity of the plate material processing machine is improved.
In addition, the above constitution may be provided with a pallet supporting unit for temporarily supporting the material pallet or product pallet in the carrying-in/out station and first wait station.
Therefore, the moving lifter unit is operated efficiently. For example, the material pallet in the carrying-in/out station is moved to the first wait station by the moving lifter unit, and after the material pallet is placed on the pallet supporting unit in the first wait station and the products are stored on the product pallet sent from the second wait station to the carrying-in/out station, the material pallet in the first wait station is moved to the carrying-in/out station by the moving lifter unit so as to be raised in the carrying-in/out station, and one work is separated from a plurality of works stored on the material pallet by the work carrying-in/out transport unit.